(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an allergen reduction-processing agent for giving an effect of inactivating an allergen resulting from ticks, or pollens of a (Japanese) cedar, a hinoki, hogweed, or some other to a fibrous product such as a cloth while restraining whitening, chalk marks, water spots (water stains), and others.
(2) Description of Related Art
As a processing agent having an effect of inactivating an allergen resulting from ticks, or pollens of a cedar, a hinoki or some other, known are (1) anti-allergen agents produced from natural components such as catechin (extract of a shrimp, or tea), an olive extract, a coffee bean extract, a herb extract, and others; (2) inorganic anti-allergen agents of calcium, aluminum, zinc, zirconium, lanthanum, and other types; and (3) organic anti-allergen agents of polyphenol, amino acid, phthalocyanine and other types.
However, when any one of these anti-allergen agents is applied, as it is, onto a surface of a cloth, whitening, chalk marks, or water spots (stains of a kind) may be generated. It is therefore difficult to apply the agent onto a cloth dyed into a dark color. Thus, in order to solve such a problem, it is supposed that an acrylic resin, a urethane resin or some other resin is used to fix the agent to the resin. However, in accordance with the amount or the types of an agent for emulsifying or dispersing the resin, there may be caused a problem that the flame retardancy is inhibited, or in reverse, whitening and chalkmarks, or water spots are easily generated.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2009-13543 and Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2006-57212, and others disclose the use of zirconium oxide as a fiber processing agent for restraining the generation of an allergy caused by pollens. However, zirconium oxide does not easily give a sufficient anti-allergy property against a tick allergy, and further does easily cause whitening, water spots or some other problem against processed cloths. Furthermore, as an anti-allergen agent for adsorbing and collecting allergen materials such as ticks or pollens, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2004-290922 discloses a water-insoluble polymer having a phenolic hydroxyl group, which is poly-4-vinylphenol. However, the use thereof gives a problem about a discoloration based on heat and light, or about some other.